AFL correspondent in Queensland

The Brisbane Lions’ horror season is lurching from bad to worse, with club CEO Malcolm Holmes resigning and chairman Bob Sharpless forced to deny that he was pushed, either by fellow board directors or the AFL.

Sharpless said Holmes led the rebuilding of the club’s culture, highlighting achievements including increasing resources for the football department, the opening the Lions’ social club in the southern suburb of Springwood and the securing of new sponsors.

But the troubled club – which fell into public infighting after the sacking of former coach and club captain Michael Voss last year – is deep in debt, crippled by the terms of its lease of the Gabba, and with the projected move of its administration and training facilities to Springfield in doubt.

Sharpless said Holmes "had a set term, he had an agenda of things he wanted to achieve and I think Malcolm appreciated that where the club was at, at the moment, he’d achieved a lot of things and it was now time to move on".

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Holmes, whose serves his last day on Friday, was not with Sharpless to explain the decision or defend his record.

"I think it’s just one of those difficult situations where it’s better for the chairman of the club to make these sorts of announcements. It’s a difficult day," Sharpless said.

Sharpless, who is the deputy chairman of Springfield Land Corporation, said the business model of the club needed to change.

"This has never been about Springfield, as much as the media wants to suggest it is. This is about an organisation that went through a lot of turmoil last year; it was about finding a solution to a very difficult situation," he said. "We now have a board that is working well together, and that’s the direction we need to continue to go.

"That’s not about Springfield and it’s not about the lease here; it’s about the fact that the club needs to develop some other revenues which are not dependent on what happens on the football field. So the board is totally united in that change to our business plan. The AFL understands that’s necessary as well.

"The issues around the stadium deal here, we are in the process of trying to renegotiate that. We will always be playing our games here; that’s a given. A new training and admin facility is something which will assist the club. It’ll save money, but it will also help the players with better performance.

"The board’s view is that Springfield is the best option, and the AFL’s view is that Springfield is the best option, but it may not happen."

A promised $15 million in funding from the former Labor federal government has not so far been honoured by the Coalition. A heads of agreement between the Lions, Ipswich City Council, the AFL and Springfield Land Corporation expires on June 30.

Asked what would happen if the development did not proceed, Sharpless said: "If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen."

Pushed, he said: "We don’t get the benefits that that opportunity creates. If we can’t go to Springfield we stay at the Gabba, training at Coorparoo, giving our players access to B-grade facilities, and we continue to try and find ways to improve the bottom line of this football club."

Club CFO Kevin Samson will take over Holmes’ role while the club searches for a replacement, with Sharpless assisting.

2 comments so far

How the Lions can go from the leagues dominant team to an absolute basket case in 10 years beggars belief, some serious mismanagement has gone on here.

Commenter

Grouch

Date and time

May 08, 2014, 5:11PM

I think it is indicative of the Lions situation that this piece has been up for over 14 hours and has not attracted a single comment. Nobody cares. The dwindling membership grow increasingly disaffected and the AFL's only real concern appears to be protecting the TV content the club represents.